Yes, of course, I know how RPG’s work. I didn’t mean to exaggerate. But it’s not just a matter of changing settings; even “a bunch of different deity systems” is just a fraction of what’s possible for actual religion. I have other difficulties with D&D beyond the religion aspect, though, so it’s just not my thing.…

I was referring to Dungeons and Dragons and it’s settings—although I will grant that I’m less familiar with sub-settings like Forgotten Realms or Eberron than I am with the “standard” setting as found in the various editions of the player’s handbook. I wasn’t conflating D&D with RPG’s in general. There are many other…

Oh sure, admittedly the GM’s I’ve played with were pretty “old school,” and may not have represented the setting very well. We certainly played with mixed-faith parties; but even polytheism + monotheism is just a fraction of what’s possible with real-world religions. Even if religion were okay though, I have other…

Fair enough. The GM’s & campaigns I’ve played with maybe haven’t represented the settings fully.

That’s possible.

You know, I’ve never been a huge fan of D&D, for a variety of reasons; but one of my biggest complaints with it has got to be the way they’ve always handled religion: i.e that fantasy religion is always polytheism, and that all characters are religious because... well, the gods are definitely real so why wouldn’t you…

His argument is on the vague side, but the central point is clear enough. I’m actually working on a short story right now that deals with this idea.

Why!? Sweet Zombie Jebus, WHY!? Might as well keep kicking the undead horse. I guess. It’s just... this line explains it all:

You’re welcome—I’m glad you enjoyed it. He’s got a whole channel of stuff, including a couple of (more or less) complete course lectures. Cheers!

Will, the debate between science and spirituality is an artificial one. No, they’re not on the “same ground of evidence” because spirituality is NOT Newtonian Materialism. That doesn’t mean it’s invalid. Your assumption that material evidence trumps all other forms of being in the world is just that—it’s an assumption…

You’re entitled to your opinion of course, but I think a lot of people would disagree with the idea that their spirituality amounts to nothing more than irrationality and superstition. The psychology research would seem to indicate, ultimately, that religion isn’t really that irrational at all, even if it seems so on…

Well, I’ll be sure to avoid this.

Yeah, I guess that makes the most sense. I’m just trying to imagine how it might play out as a science fictional doomsday scenario...

Meh. I don’t mind a good military drama now and then, but I guess I don’t see the appeal of getting it from Star Wars. To my mind, Star Wars is a space fantasy and always will be, not a gritty military epic. I’d rather see an entirely original space military drama than one set in the SW universe. Plus, Star Wars…

Came here to say this, if no one had already.

Presumably any life on that planet would have been destroyed by the star’s radiation long before it got close enough to disintegrate, but I’d still love to know what the process of a planet getting ripped apart by the gravity would look like. And especially, how long would it take? Would the planet have tidal…

Well played! I always wondered how the toaster's IQ compared to Holly's.

This seems a bit ridiculous.

Not really much of a story. But I'd take a chance and see a proper film made by these guys.

I think you missed my point. I realize that Earthdawn and Shadowrun shared a universe, and that certain Elves lived through it all.